Scarlet Swan
by femphoenix
Summary: "You, you're everything I want and I, I'm everything you need." It could be argued that Emama Swan left the light for the darkness. Although the White Knight was tainted with scarlet, she still believed there was good in the darkest of souls. Light doesn't always foretell good as darkness never truly means evil. A dark Swan Queen tale.
1. Chapter 1

**_A/N This idea has been eating away at me for weeks; I just had to get it out. The story was supposed to be a one-shot, but it's turning out to be longer than expected. In realization of that I'm breaking it up into chapters. This particular Swan Queen was inspired by an amazing song "Scarlet" by In This Moment. I would recommend that you listen to it first just to help with the effect._**

**_type this in after youtube: /watch?v=9dMkELynLUo  
_**

**_All quotes that are italicized are lyrics from Scarlet by In This Moment. I've used them throughout the story in order to try something different. You may either think of them as some other voice echoing throughout or both of the women thinking it. Whatever you wish, it doesn't really matter. I also couldn't resist using lyrics from The Promise by In This Moment. Both songs are so perfect for this story._**

**_This isn't intended to be a majorly long story; I'm thinking probably 10k words, so another chapter or two. If you're looking for a fluffy Swan Queen, please turn back now. This is by far NOT fluffy and filled with rainbows and butterflies. _**

**_I'm still working on Under the Veil and Bullet to the Heart; I'll have those updated as soon as I can. I hope you enjoy! I'm nervous about this one... _**

**_One last thing: This takes place right after the curse is broken._**

The cold wind slapped against Emma's face as she rushed down towards the Mills Manor; her blonde curls were flying rapidly around her face as her breath entered and left her lips fast. She knew the mob would be there any second with pitchforks and torches, but she couldn't allow them to steal her piece of the prize. She couldn't believe what had just happened in a matter of minutes. As soon as the curse broke Regina had bolted out of that hospital faster than lightning. Emma came to realization that everything her son had been saying was true. What made the entire situation worse was the fact that the White Knight had been secretly sleeping around with the Evil Queen; however, she had no idea of this during the curse, so was it that big of a deal? Of course it was! If the town found out about this she'd surely be in the same predicament as Regina.

_"They can never know just what we've done."_

By the time she rounded the corner, she saw the raging mob. Pitchforks and torches were an understatement. Granny stood at the head of the crowd, crossbow in hand. Others had whatever kind of object they could grasp on their way in their hands. Emma's grip tightened on her father's sword and she pushed through the crowd to find Regina tied up to her beloved apple tree. Her eyes were dark with fear as she struggled against the rope.

Her movements stilled when the sword pointed out, only mere centimeters from the brunette's chest. Brown, fearful eyes met strong green ones as lover to lover gazed into each other's soul.

_All of this time she has been my faithful enemy, yet I was too blind to see it._

"Kill her!" someone shouted from the angry crowd.

"Burn the witch!"

The anger for all that Regina had done was encouragement to plunge that sword deep into her chest. The blonde's knuckles turned white as her grip became deadly, the sword beginning to shake.

_This is what she deserves,_ Emma thought, _It's easy._

She pressed the tip of the sword against the brunette's throat causing her to gulp, eyes never leaving one another. This had to be the end. Revenge for everything the evil witch had done to all of these people. Revenge for taking away a family Emma always yearned for.

Vivid images of the night before flashed across Emma's mind. Hot skin against skin, deep long sighs of endless ecstasy. It had happened all so fast. Just as fast as their desire sparked, Emma was walking out of the mansion with the poisonous pastry in her hand.

_She tried to kill me._

_"They will never know all the blood we've shed. The scarlet cross we bear until the bitter end and they, they can never know just what we've done."_

"No…" Emma whispered and turned her back to the queen. The fear in the queen's eyes was pure. Real. "This is not the way." Everyone gasped, some screamed with objection while others threw their weapons of choice into the air. "If we kill her then we will be no better than she. There will be no death in Storybrooke so long as I am still sheriff."

Several more objections skyrocketed until an arrow came buzzing through the air and split an apple hanging in the tree. Everyone stiffened at the action as the muddled apple dropped to the dirt.

"Everyone back down. You heard the sheriff."

Emma snapped around to see her roommate readying another arrow. Actually, _Snow _readied her bow and arrow. On her right was Charming who was gazing with longing at the sword in his daughter's hand.

_This isn't fucking happening, _Emma swore inside of her head. The sight was an odd one and there was no way she'd be getting used to this anytime soon. She nodded thanks to them both before demanding that Regina be unbounded.

* * *

"Miss Swan, let me explain," Regina begged as they walked into the sheriff's office. Emma grasped the mayor and pushed her, but not too harshly, into the jail cell. She refused to meet her lover's beautiful brown gaze as she shut the bars and turned the lock.

"What is there to explain, Regina?" she yelled, throwing up her hands. Her green eyes burned with furry, but deep down inside was a feeling of loss. It took all of her might to force down the tears just begging to escape. She had never known love, but the moment the fire was lit, it spread out in an uproar of chaos.

Regina inched close towards the blonde and reached out a hand through the cold bars. Her soft, slender fingers caressed the sheriff's cheek with bottomless affection and regret.

_This wasn't how things were supposed to go, _Regina thought.

Both of their eyes danced with an ocean of emotions screaming to release at the same time. Finally Emma looked at Regina and placed her own hand on top of the latter, slowly pulling it down.

"You tried to kill me," Emma said bitterly.

"No," Regina replied back, trying to conceal her emotions, "It would have only put you under a sleeping curse."

"Was this your plan the entire time?"

"Emma, please…" She looked back over to the woman who said her name. She would have loved to see the mayor behind bars any other time, but now?

Memories of their long night flooded through once again and she stepped away, forcing the thought out. Her heart was breaking with each silent moment. She pushed herself up onto the desk and glanced over at the mayor who had loosened her grip on the bars, but still refused to move.

Emma's life was becoming so much more complicated with each breath. Her head was confused. Jumbled. Nothing made sense. Actually, the only thing that made a bit of since was Henry's fairytale book that was undoubtedly true now that the curse had broken. It was the closest thing to truth she'd ever find in this world. Ironic? It didn't make since to Emma Swan either. What baffled her even more was how far she and Regina had come in such little time only to have the mayor try and poison her. Why? Why was it when things started to go good they crashed and burned? The blonde grumbled and put her head in her hands in defeat.

"What do we do now?" Regina asked softly.

"We?" she snapped her head up, "There is no _we_. But me? I have no fucking clue at this moment. Your role is simple. You're staying put."

Emma glanced up at the clock and upon seeing that it had grown late, she hopped off the desk. She gathered her belongings, trying her best to ignoring the eyes burning into the back of her skull.

"You're just going to leave me here?" the mayor asked with disbelief. The pathetic look Regina wore could shatter the strongest hearts. Emma had never seen the woman so torn and it hurt to see it. In the past few weeks they had grown oddly close even though they hated each other's guts (At least that's what they told themselves). Regina's mask had begun to fall and for a moment Emma had a chance of seeing her true colors, but just as quickly as it fell, it shot right back up.

"I've had an entirely long day, Madam Mayor. My son was poisoned and almost died because of _you._ I slayed a fucking _dragon_ for fuck's sake and come to find out that my _parents _are Snow White and Prince Charming. Then I had to deal with that mob that wanted to kill you," the brunette shivered, "So forgive me, _your majesty,_ if I share no sympathy for you having to stay overnight behind bars.

Emma scurried over to the other cell and bundled up the extra sheets before sliding them into Regina's. The mayor now sat on the edge of the cot, looking down at the ground. They bid each other a silent farewell before the blonde disappeared from the room leaving Regina in solitude.

* * *

Regina had never felt so miserable in her entire life. She attempted to unlock the cell, but for some reason her magic wasn't working. If the curse was broken then shouldn't magic be back? She sat with her back against the cold cement wall, her knees drawn up and her head buried into them. For the first time in years she felt true tears well up and slide slowly down her cheeks. She was never one to live in regret.

There was no shame in what she had done to the kingdom. She still loathed them all, especially Snow White for indirectly killing her one and only happiness. What she did remorse was what she just did to Emma.

She couldn't deny the growing feelings for the blonde that she had acquired. In a way they had always been there, but she hid it away from herself. As much as the sheriff made her want to claw her eyes out there was that special gravity pulling them together. Last night's affair was forever imprinted upon her heart for several reasons.

The moment Emma had walked into her house that fire lit up. That infuriating red jacket glowed bright like their burning desire for one another. One simple kiss. That was all it took before they were pushing each other into the wall and then onto the couch in the foyer. The air had been filled with moist, hot air escaping their lips. No one was ever able to make Regina feel the way she did when Emma was around.

_"It's haunting, this hold that you have over me. I grow so weak. I see you and everything around you fades and I can't see. You can never know what it is you do to me"_

Regina wanted to tell her. She needed to tell her the reasoning behind everything, but she was scared. There was the one emotion that always pulled her away from falling for the blonde. Fear of losing Henry. He was her entire heart and soul and no one would ever change that. That very first day Emma brought Henry home was the moment she realized that the one thing she loved was slipping from her grasp.

She didn't want to lose Henry; in fear of this she had reacted on impulse with dire foolishness. She wanted Emma. That much was true, but she knew they could never be more than secret lovers. Emma could never know that Regina was the Evil Queen. The only way to end this torture was by slipping the pastry into her hands and letting the poison do its work. That was her safe haven. Poison. However, the entire plan backfired and both women almost lost their son.

Things would never be the same again though. The Savior had been awoken and ever since the day she was born she was an enemy of the Queen. Regina had always wondered what would have happened if the Charming's had failed to send Emma away in that wardrobe. The curse would have never been threatened. Perhaps they would have had some chance at love, but Henry most likely would have never been born.

She shook her head in a rapid motion, attempting to clear her mind and stop the overbearing sobs cascading down her face, but it was all futile. Her life was over. Everything she had gone through to give herself a new life was in ashes.

"_I, I am the misery you crave and you, you are my faithful enemy_"

* * *

The apartment was absolutely silent. Emma cracked an eyelid open and peered at the glowing numbers on her nightstand. 3:05 am. Sleep was useless. Hours upon hours she tried to shut her mind down, but rest evaded her. She sat up, the sheets falling from her shoulders sending a chill down her spine, and she silently sighed. Her eyes burned with exhaustion, but her mind ran rapid. She couldn't get the pathetic image of Regina behind bars out of her head. She pictured the brunette curled up under the rigid sheets. Alone. Miserable.

She forced herself out of her warm bed and slipped quietly down the stairs, passed her sleeping son on the couch. A soft smile touched her lips as she watched him sleep peacefully.

Regina had the same exact predicament as the sheriff. No matter how hard she tried to close her eyes she couldn't fall asleep. She kicked irritably at the rough, scratchy sheets. She'd give anything to feel her silky sheets against her skin and for the first time she realized how lucky she was to live in such prestige.

Finally her red, achy eyes closed in defeated fatigue, but just as she was on the verge of sleep she heard the tap of boots coming down the hall. Her eyes shot open and she froze. Her first thought was that someone had broken in and was here to end her. Whoever it was though was failing miserably at sneaking. She scrunched her eyebrows as the figure walked into the room and became clear.

"Sheriff?" the mayor called out in confusion. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, making sure her they weren't deceiving her. Emma remained silent as she walked up to the cell and unlocked it. "What are you doing? What time is it?" By this time Regina had her feet hanging off the cot. Emma motioned for her to put her shoes on and to come with her. "Where are we going?"

"Home."

The brunette had never been so confused. She followed the sheriff into her buggy and as much as she wished to make a snarky comment about its filth, she resisted. She was grateful to be out of that miserable, lonesome cell. The last time she had been imprisoned was when Snow and Charming had captured her and attempted to execute her. Oh how long ago that was.

The ride was awkwardly silent. Either both were overwhelmed with exhaustion or none wanted to admit to the situation. Whatever the reason, it wasn't clear. When they pulled up to the mayor's house Emma got out to walk Regina up to the door feeling protective for some reason. She hoped that Regina would let her inside and not slam the door in her face.

The key slid into the lock and she turned the knob. Beyond the door was solitude. The door slid open and as the mayor took a step in, Emma placed a hand on her arm. Their unreadable eyes met.

"Regina," she spoke softly and a bit unsurely, "I never intended to steal Henry away from you." The brunette took in a long deep breath before stepping inside.

"I know…" she whispered from over her shoulder. Her hand remained on the door, unsure of what to do. Behind her she could hear Emma fidget awkwardly.

"You're obviously the better parent for him. I'm not mother-material nor did I ever want to be. It's just that I care for him and—"

"—Miss Swan," Regina deadpanned, cutting off the sheriff's nervous ramble.

The moment the older woman turned back around to face the latter something sparked inside of their eyes. Regina's pain was beyond vivid battling with the last ounce of control she had left. Emma came to her rescue and practically leaped onto her pressing her lips roughly against red, apple tasting ones.

_"This hunger seems to feed on me; a sacred sin, a dying breed."_

Instantaneously Regina's hands found their way into blonde curls as Emma wrapped her arms around the mayor's slim waist, pulling them close against one another. The blonde's tongue slid across the latter's lips and was received gladly with a moan.

_"You, you're everything I want and I, I'm everything you need."_

They stood right in the threshold, door open, in the middle of the late night. Lover to Lover. Enemy to Enemy. The Savior offering her heart to the Evil Queen. Regina bit down onto the blonde's bottom lip.

"This is dangerous," Regina whispered against the blonde's soft lips knowing that they were treading into deep, black waters.

"I know," she replied, lacing her fingers with the brunette's and leading them into the house, closing the door with a kick of her boot. The indecency of the last part didn't go unnoticed by the mayor, but she chose not to comment.

Emma was digging her grave by partaking in this deadly sin; however she couldn't build up enough reasons to care that she was siding with the Evil Queen. This was her wish; her final death note was signed with a blood red kiss.

_"They can never know just what we've done; we risk everything tonight."_

The brunette took hold of the blonde's hand and led her upstairs. The desirous passion between the two was suffocating; hearts continued to speed as they inched closer and closer towards the bedroom, the place Emma never had the pleasure of visiting before. This was a first and hinted at how serious the situation between her and the mayor had grown.

This was the absolute truth too. Regina never, ever brought up just anyone to her bedroom. Something deep within her told her that this was right. No matter how badly she wanted to push to blonde away she knew it was only because she was fearful of the consequences that would face the blonde.

Their lips met once again as Emma gently laid Regina down onto the soft throw. In one swift motion Emma's jacket was slid down her shoulders and off along with her shirt shortly afterwards. The brunette leaned up and planted a kiss on her collarbone.

Sooner than later their clothes had been thrown in several directions. Their hot, sweaty bodies moved against one another, lip-locked as their breaths moved rapidly. Emma's hand travelled down the brunette's flat stomach, sending shivers through her. Regina arched underneath her as the hand cupped her warmth.

A long moan slipped out of the blonde's lips when sharp teeth came down upon her neck. Regina trailed her nails down her back leaving long, red marks. Two fingers slipped inside of the brunette and she gasped against skin, biting harder. Soon her hips matched the steady pace of Emma's fingers, moaning in pure ecstasy. Regina's eyes rolled into the back of her head as the speed increased

There was something pure about this moment. The times before had just been adrenaline and sweat; however, this time there was loving affection in every action. There was no wine distorting their thoughts; the moment was pure.

_"They will never know all the blood we shed; the scarlet cross we bear until the bitter end and they, they can never know just what we've done…I will never let you go"_

Regina's teeth sunk into pale flesh causing a mix of pain and pleasure to escape from Emma's lips. The queen smiled into the skin before sucking the pain away and wetting it with long strokes of her tongue. The Savior was hers. Emma was the Evil Queen's White Knight no matter what. She knew that no matter the consequences of this night, Emma would protect her. Words weren't necessary to convey such a message, but they both knew this was truth after tonight.

There was no way Emma was going to let anyone touch her queen. The past didn't matter to her; Regina had changed. It didn't matter that she had tried to kill her. It all honesty she understood why, in this weird twisted way. They craved the misery and thrived off the scarlet love.

"Emma," Regina called out as her hips lifted off of the bed. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she tried to get ahold of her breath. Green eyes stared into tear stained chocolate globes. The younger woman grew concerned and leaned down to wipe the steady tears away.

"Regina?" Emma worriedly whispered against her cheek, kissing every inch of her face softly and sweetly. Their fingers intertwined and the blonde kissed her knuckles. A genuine, serene smile broke out across the older woman's face. It was such a beautiful scene.

"I'm okay, darling," Regina softly replied and stroked Emma's hair. She reached up and cupped her face. Emma nuzzled against the warm hand.

Something came alive inside of the queen; it was something that she thought had died years ago, but now she knew it was still there. Emma laid her head upon the brunette's chest and listened to the soothing beating of her heart. No matter what anyone said Regina had a strong, loving heart. It had been broken, shattered, turned into ice, but Emma managed to hold it in delicate fingers and bring it back to life.

_"They can never know just what we've done."_

Regina squeezed the blonde's hand before reaching for the covers and pulling it around them. She laid one last kiss upon the blonde's lips and soon they fell asleep.

Whatever the future held, it didn't matter. What mattered now was the swan was the queen's. Emma had silently given her knight's oath to forever and always protect her majesty no matter the consequences. She would go down swinging because she knew the true Regina. The one who had the most loving, caring heart she had ever seen.

_**A/N Please, please, please let me know what you think of this. I've never written a story based off of a song before.**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N I love you guys! Thank you for the reviews. I was so nervous about this entire idea, but I'm glad you like it. **_

Sunlight poured into the room, softly awakening Emma's slumber. She yawned and stretched, but scrunched up her face in confusion.

_Where am I?_

Suddenly she remembered the night before. She smiled at the memory and reached over, but was met with a cold and empty bed. She shook her head and sighed. Maybe she was downstairs in the kitchen? After washing up in the bathroom she headed downstairs, taking the time to look around. On the wall was a picture of her and Henry when he was younger. Regina was holding him in her arms with a huge smile on her face looking happier than ever. Had she ever seen the woman so happy before? No, not even with her. She knew the mother and son would be reunited soon. She walked into the kitchen, but once again was met with silence.

"Regina?" she called out as she searched around.

_Where the hell is that woman?_ She was now growing a bit irritated. Not only was it weird to be alone in the mayor's house, but looking back at the recent events she was fearful that something may have happened.

She rushed out of the house and spotted her buggy. She had completely forgotten to conceal it from view. What if someone spotted it and got the wrong idea? Well actually the _right _idea. Paranoia struck like wild fire. Everything was wrong. Something in the atmosphere was off.

She jumped into her buggy and road into town going faster than usual. Her mind was swarming with crazy thoughts. She merely screamed as she slammed on her breaks, almost hitting the crowd standing in the middle of the road. The car threatened to crumble as the door swung on its hinges harshly.

"Emma!" Snow came running towards her daughter and embraced her. The blonde stiffened slightly, not really used to the motherly affection.

"Uh…what's going on?"

"Where have you been? We've been looking for you. You weren't home when we woke up; it was Henry to find out first."

The sheriff took in a deep breath and calmed her nerves. She purposely avoided her roommates question by asking hers again, but got no response when her son came out of the crowd and wrapped his arms tightly around her waist.

"Hey kid, shouldn't you be in school?"

He looked up quizzically at her and replied, "Emma, the curse is broken."

"That still doesn't mean you don't have to go to school."

"But everyone wants to go home."

She looked at her roommate, and mother, for help, but the pixie woman only shrugged. "He's right," Snow said, "All of town has been wondering why we haven't been sent back to the Enchanted Forest."

"I bet Regina would know," Henry chimed in, "She's the evil witch who did this."

"Henry…" Emma sighed and looked down at him. If only he was mature enough to understand everything. She loved that kid to death, but he didn't take into consideration all of the years Regina raised him. No matter how _evil_ he thought she was she still loved him with all of her heart. However, his simple mind only knew good and evil; there were no in between, no gray pages.

"We were planning on asking Regina herself," Snow told her, but then held up her hands defensively, "Hey, hey! No games. We weren't planning on pulling something like yesterday. Okay?"

"Well, she's not home." Snow and Henry gave her an odd look along with a few other people who joined in the conversation.

"And how do you know that?" Granny inquired, crossbow in her hands.

"Will you put that thing away," Emma begged as she looked down at the contraption feeling insanely uneasy. That's when she noticed that her roommate had a bow and arrow. All of the dwarves were sporting pickaxes as well; she rolled her eyes. "Seriously, guys?"

"Emma," Snow put a hand on her shoulder, "now that magic is back we have to take full precautions."

_And that means carrying around medieval gear that looks absolutely ridiculous?_

"Wait…you said magic is here? In Storybrooke?" Everyone nodded, "You have _got _to be fucking kidding me."

_All of this is turning out fucking great!_ Emma never said.

Emma looked at her car that was parked in the middle of the road and then back to the crowd of people. Were they waiting for her to say something? She didn't like this Savior thing at all. However the one thing they didn't know was that their White Knight was stained with red.

Regina's words from the previous night flashed into her mind, "_This is dangerous_."

Was that a warning for what was to happen today? She told everyone to calm down; everything would be alright in time. They wanted to march down to Regina's house, but she insisted that she wasn't there. This didn't save her from more quizzical looks from everyone. She managed to lie right through her teeth and say that she woke up early to do a patrol around the town. Either they didn't know Emma well enough or they let the huge, neon plastered sign of a lie slide under the radar.

She had been informed about how magic was brought to this land by Rumpelstiltskin. None of them knew why, but they knew it wasn't good.

"Emma?" The blonde looked over to her mother and raised her eyebrow, "You said Regina wasn't home. Wasn't she supposed to be locked up?"

The blonde's already pale face turned white and she froze. There's a little oopsie she forgot about. Everyone stopped walking and faced her, waiting for an answer.

_Fuck me, _she thought, _was taking Regina home really worth the risk?_

_"…they can never know just what we've done…"_

"I let her go this morning."

Eyes widened as if she were a big abnormal bug.

"Emma!" Snow gasped.

"You let the witch go?" another yelled.

"But Emma, she's Evil!" Henry added.

"What all can she do?" she threw up her hands in irritation, "If she had magic she would have surely used it to get out, but she did obviously didn't. I'm so tired of hearing about her being the Evil Queen."

"You don't know what she did to us!" Grumpy yelled out from the back. She shot him a look.

"She ruined our lives, Emma…" Snow told her softly, but Emma had had enough.

"What if it was _you _who did?" everyone gawked at the sheriff's scold, "You put me in that magical wardrobe or whatever the Hell it was. I've lived a life of misery when in the end we could have been together. I never had true parents, so do _not _try and tell me what I can and cannot do. I lived twenty-eight years on my own."

Snow's eyes welled up with tears and she looked away from her daughter. Maybe Emma hadn't meant to be so harsh, but it was true. All of these years she had waited to meet her parents, but she never expected this.

"I never wanted to be the Savior. I never had a choice."

* * *

The day had started off shitty and it progressed just the same. It was a battle between her and the entire town in trying to figure out where to go next. Gold hadn't been seen since he unleashed the magic and Regina failed to reveal herself as well. The latter unnerved Emma more than she wanted to admit. After hours of walking endlessly around the town, for reasons Emma failed to understand, she finally got everyone to go back to their daily lives. They weren't going to solve anything with what they were doing.

"Henry," Snow looked down at her grandson, "Go inside. We'll be up in a few." He nodded enthusiastically, already being happy that he didn't have to go to school for the day, and ran into the apartment.

"What's up?" Emma asked her once they were alone.

"Alright, so maybe I'm just being nosy or maybe it's this new motherly thing, but…" she fidgeted awkwardly and looked to the ground sheepishly.

"But what? What's going on Mary Ma— Snow. Whatever the hell your name is."

The brunette chuckled lightly and then looked up, "What's that?"

"What's wha—" Emma held up her hand to her neck, her eyes widening, feeling the teeth imprint still there from last night. _There's no fucking way it's still— _she walked over to her car and looked in the reflection. _Yep. It's still there. Shit, Regina!_

The place where Regina had bitten was an insanely vivid purple mark that screamed for attention. She had no idea how she had missed the obvious marking. Err actually, several markings, but the others weren't as prominent. What she did know what that Regina was had marked her as her own, which she had no problem with in the first place. It was just the fact of trying to hide their little secret.

_I've been walking around town with _this_ on my God damn neck?_

Oh if only Regina was around. She'd surely give her a piece of her mind. In a very _appropriate _manner.

"I-it's nothing," Emma stuttered while she covered it up with her blonde curls.

"Emma, I'm not stupid," Snow laughed, "who is it? You obviously snuck out to see them late last night."

The blonde felt her cheeks reddened and she huffed. "It's none of your business."

"What? Awe come on, Em. I can keep a secret. I know things have changed now—"

"—exactly. You're not Mary Margaret anymore. Your Snow White who happens to be my _mother_. I apologize if I'm not comfortable with relaying my love life."

"Oooo, love life?" Snow smirked and nudged her daughter who rolled her eyes.

"Will you just quit?"

Snow threw up her hands and replied, "Fine, okay. I give."

* * *

The entire family sat around the dinner table eating pasta that Snow threw together. Charming asked if his sword was alright which made Emma want to roll her eyes, but she suppressed it. Was this man really obsessed with his sword?

"David—Charming? Charming right? Alright, good; now that that's straight. You can have your sword back. I don't see me needing it anytime soon. I still prefer my gun."

He nodded, giving her a smile and they all fell back into listening to Henry rave about magic and Fairytale Land. This kid was insane! He insisted that James teach him how to sword fight and learn how to ride a horse and –But everyone told him to slow down. It would all come in time.

_I hope that's a really long time from now,_ Emma thought. She faded out of the conversation. Her mind floated out into the deep, black ocean of thoughts and wondered where Regina was. She had always been protective over her, even when she tried to not show it, but now she was to the point of paranoia. If anything, someone would say that Emma actually—

_Nope not going there, Swan._

What was she going to do about this entire situation? The town wanted justice for what Regina had done to them, but knowing what that meant was like predicting an earthquake. Half of the town she knew for sure wanted her dead; the only reason they hadn't acted on it was because of the sheriff's demand.

She felt the heat rising inside of her when last night flooded in. She could never forget that beautiful smile on Regina's face. That curious scar on her lip that wanted to run her fingertips across. That mesmerizing, perfect body and her –

"—Earth to Emma?" Henry waved a hand in front of her face.

"Huh, what?" Emma blinked, her face completely pink, and she found everyone staring at her.

"We were asking you if you knew anything on why the curse didn't break completely," Charming said.

"Uh, no. Out of all the people I think I know the least amount."

"We just assumed that since you were alone with Regina—"

Emma almost jumped up in defense, "—we weren't alone!" She bit her lip in an embarrassment when she suddenly realized they were referring to when she took the mayor to the sheriff's office._ Christ, get a hold of yourself. _"I mean, we weren't alone for long enough. Plus she was completely walled up. You know how she is."

As soon as the words left her lips she began to ferociously stuff the rest of her plate into her mouth. This was not a good thing whatsoever. If she kept it up things were going to get ugly. She gulped down the rest of her water, _when they fuck did I start drinking water? _She kissed Henry on top of the head before excusing herself to bed, not paying mind to the curious look on Snow's face.

Sleep. She needed sleep more than anything in the world.

* * *

Boots propped up onto the desk, the sheriff sighed lazily as she stared up at the ceiling. The day was pretty dead like they had been for the past couple of days. It seemed that people were focusing on finding their loved ones than bothering the sheriff's which she was perfectly fine with. The thing that sucked though was that she couldn't just pick up and go home; nope, she had to stay at the office and wait. Wasn't it her fault though for forcing everyone to go back to their regular, Storybrooke lives?

Regina had failed to reveal herself since they day Emma woke up alone in the mayor's bed. As much as it unnerved her she had grown used to her not being around. There was no excuse she could find, but one. She had only used Emma that night before heading for the hills in attempt to hide from the still-angry townspeople. The mayor's actions seemed logical, the second part at least, but it left a burning imprint upon the sheriff's heart. She swore that things were headed in the right direction for them even though they were headed for the sun. In actuality it was the Sheriff who was headed in that path. Regina was well gone, wherever she had gone, and wasn't coming back; the woman knew how to take care of herself and probably even left town completely. Emma, however, wasn't granted with an easy road. Here she was left with these burdening emotions that still didn't make since to her.

The blonde twirled a few strands of her hair in between her fingers idly while she reflected on the past few days. What came to mind was the most recent dream she had on the night of Regina's disappearance.

She had awoken in fright, shooting straight up from her sleep, as silent scream escaping her lips; her heartbeat raced on a million miles per second. She panted and wiped the moisture from her forehead off and tried to get a hold of what she just dreamed. The details were blurred; all she could remember was Regina's piercing screams echoing through the air as hot, searing flames arose around her. Emma had tried running to her, but her feet were heavy. The closer she treaded the further away Regina became. What did it mean? Surely it was only from her obsessive paranoia.

Even now Emma had no idea what the dream had meant. Her paranoia had subsided and was replaced with an idle depression. She was able to operate normally, but when she took the time to reflect on things she fell into the black hole. A gaping hole resided in her heart where Regina once flourished. She missed her terribly, but she would never admit it. Even though only a few days had passed it was odd not hearing the mayor bicker about Emma's pitiful flaws and how she did her job wrong. She missed the bickering and ranting; the way the brunette always invaded her private space. Looking back on this was all too much. She was gone and that was final.

Something in the atmosphere changed; Emma s up-righted herself in the chair. Before she had time to contemplate on anything there was a loud shattering followed by something hitting the floor of the sheriff's office. Emma's halfway jumped out of her skin as a rock came to a halt right beside her desk. There was now a shattered hole where the rock had come flying through.

**_A/N ooo~ Cliffhanger ;) I'm sorry- well no, actually I'm not. I hope you're still liking this story. Remember to review! They make my day and help me post faster._**


	3. Chapter 3

**_Despite the fact that I'm already late on a school paper, I typed this up. It's a pretty fast paced chapter so I hope you all don't mind. Let me know what you think, although I have a feeling you're all not going to like me very much._**

"What the hell!" Emma shouted as she jumped to her feet and headed towards the window.

The sound of the front door banging echoed through the hall and she turned her head. Rapid sound of shaky heels came made their presence until they came to a halt. The owner of the sound now stood under the doorway of the sheriff's office.

"R-regina…?" Emma's choked out and stared at the mayor. Her clothes were tattered showing bruises upon her flawless skin, her hair in quite the same ratty condition. She looked as if she hadn't had a shower in days. Overall, the mayor looked like shit. Before Emma could say another word Regina threw herself onto the sheriff in a tight, suffocating embrace.

"We have to get out of here," the brunette whispered with shaky voice.

Emma could hardly believe what was happening. This new side of the mayor wasn't one she had seen before. She had seen the woman fear for her life before. No matter how hard she tried to hide it, her eyes always gave her away. She had witnessed the mayor in depressing situations when it came to Henry, yet she had never seen this side of Regina. So weak. So…_fragile._ She pulled the stunned woman against her tight, relishing in the soothing warmth that accompanied it.

"I thought I'd never— what? What are you talking about?" Emma is cut off completely by the sounds of angry shrieking. She looked out the window, through the blinds, and could see another angry mob, similar to a few days ago, approaching the sheriff's office fast. "Regina? What's going on?"

"There's no time to explain. We have to go." The brunette took the blonde's hand in attempt to pull her into movement, but Emma jerked away.

"No!" she snapped, "You can't just come in here after me thinking you were…well _gone _forever and expect me to just follow your every demand."

The mayor shook her head restlessly before stepping close and placed a soft hand onto the sheriff's cheek. Brown eyes gazed deep into the luscious forest of green, begging for her to understand.

"Please, Emma. You have to trust me."

Her voice seemed distant as if she was stricken by a thought. Emma only nodded as Regina laid a soft kiss on the corner of her mouth. Oh how good it was to have her back in her arms. If she had the chance to she would have broken down into joyous tears, but the shrieking and taunting grew louder outside of the window as another object came flying through the window.

Emma led them out through a back way that led them into an alley. As much as she wished to ask questions she held her tongue. Regina would tell her sooner or later…or at least she hoped. Both women ran throughout the town taking as many short cuts as possible so they wouldn't be seen. Eventually they reached Regina's house and slipped inside.

Regina slouched against the wall in an unmannerly fashion which mirrored the sheriff more than herself. If only she could look in the mirror right now. She took several deep breaths and put a hand to her chest before turning her attention to the blonde.

"I suppose you wish to hear my side of the story?" she asked the sheriff and waited till the she nodded to continue, "The morning after I awoke to you by my side I slipped outside, around back, to take some time to myself. It was far too early in the morning for many people to be up, so it was perfect. I was tending to my garden when I noticed something wasn't right. When I turned around I saw the Blue Fairy standing there," she growled at the irritation towards that woman, "come to find out, magic was somehow granted to that little imbecile which she used to her advantage. After freezing my entire body with a spell I ended up at Gold's pawnshop…"

"What did they do to you?"

Regina looked up to see the blonde gazing at her worriedly and inched closer. Emma cautiously reached out a slim hand to cup the brunette's face. A soft warming, smile shone through the mayor traveling all the way up into her eyes. She nuzzled the hand affectionately before entwining her own fingers with hers.

"Nothing severe. I got these bruises from trying to get away; I can't imagine what would have happened if I hadn't of slipped away when I did." She paused for a moment and looked away, water beginning to line her eyes. "I shouldn't have brought you here. They can't know that we—"

_"They can never know just what we've done."_

"—Regina, I don't care what they know. I don't care. The only thing that matters is that you are safe and here with me. I'm not going to let _anyone_ hurt you."

_"Nothing goodwill come of this. I'll be yours until my dying day."_

Regina grimaced painfully, but whether it was from actual pain or a memory wasn't clear. The blonde tried to pull her along towards the bathroom to wash her up, but the mayor shook her head.

"We can't stay here…"

"Regina, I really don't think—"

They both froze as an eerie sound echoed in the distance. The atmosphere grew darker and wicked. In a matter of seconds the feeling escalated to the extreme when—

"Get down!" Emma screamed, pushing Regina down onto the hardwood floor as a fireball came bursting through the window. The sound of glass chaotically echoed throughout the house as it shattered all around them. "Shit! Regina, are you alright?" she asked as she pushed herself off of the brunette, but still hovered over top of her protectively. "What the _fuck_ was that?"

"Gold…" Regina snarled and pushed herself up from underneath the blonde.

Right outside of the shattered window echoed angry shouts from several familiar voices. They were growing louder by the second; they had to get out of there. Regina pulled Emma off of the ground and led the way to another exit.

"I think now would be perfect timing for you to use magic," the blonde stated as she was pointed in the right direction. Regina replied with a deathly glare from the corner of her eyes.

"Yes, dear, it really would be, but unfortunately it seems that magic works differently here."

In fact, if the queen was able to harness her dark magic she would have had the entire mob flatted like a pancake in seconds; however, fate decided that they wanted to play and not grant her such a pleasure.

The shattering of more glass along with the busting down of the front door sounded from afar. _This is getting ridiculous, _Emma said to herself.

"What the _hell_ did you do to these people?" she asked, but got no reply, "Regina?" She turned to around to find that she was alone on the other end of the house. Her heart began to race even more rapidly as panic soured through her skull. "Regina!" she screamed out as she backtracked.

Finally after several long seconds of agony she found the brunette pulling herself up off the floor, holding her ankle. As the two had been running through the house, the high class stilettos finally got the better of her and sent her crashing down to the floor, consequentially twisting her ankle.

Without another thought, Emma leaned down to assist the mayor. She pulled the woman's arm over her shoulder in order to help her walk. Regina hissed into the blonde's ear as she attempted to bite back pain which only led to her embarrassment.

_This is no time to be criticizing my pride, _Regina scoffed at herself and held on tightly to her savior. Her pride didn't matter anymore. Right behind them came the clashing of feet against pristine hardwood which would have brought tears to the mayor's eyes at any other time. Her home didn't matter anymore.

_All I want is to have my happy ending._

Right before the two outlaws of Storybrooke stood the mob, its leaders standing in the front. Rumpelstiltskin's face was crazed with madness as he leaned on his cane. How in the hell he was able to keep up the pace with his gimpy leg was beyond them. However, that wasn't what blew Emma's mind. Right beside him stood a brunette woman, wand in hand.

"Mother Superior is the Blue Fucking Fairy?" Emma thought she had said to herself, but obviously had not.

Regina was sure to be rolling her eyes, despite the situation. It wasn't unclear why Gold and the Blue Fairy would ever even _think _of working together. The two were polar opposite, completely. No questions asked, yet now every single question was left hanging in the air.

In a matter of seconds, both women were thrown back against the wall. The blonde's head whizzed with dizziness and by the time she was able to open her eyes she heard a scream. Regina was hovering in the airs, limbs frozen with an eerie blue glow. The Blue Fairy was holding out her wand with a devilish, wicked smile painted on her face. It was quite frightening actually.

"Let her go!" Emma screamed as she stumbled to her feet in an attempt to lunge forward at the fairy.

Gold extended his hand and she was forced against the wall, unable to move by invisible restraints.

"Stay out of this, dearie. We wouldn't want the savior getting hurt, now would we?"

She glared at the crazed man, the dark one, the one who had always been her enemy since day one. There was only one thing within his dark eyes: power.

The blonde's green eyes widened as they flickered over the rest of the mob, her gaze falling upon one person in particular. Every ounce of her heart dropped as she realized how truly alone she was in this fight.

"Mary Margaret?"

Snow held firmly onto her bow, her eyes glued on anything but her daughter. The mother of the White Knight couldn't bare the thought of what she was seeing. Piecing together everything was simple, but believing it was a whole other story.

"Why?" her mother choked out, tears evidently on their way. Finally their eyes met and Emma could have died, "You were supposed to be the savior. Our White Knight…"

"You don't know her!" Emma cried out, still struggling against the restraints, yet growing weak.

"No!" Snow screamed with such ferocity that it stunned her daughter to silence, "You have absolutely no idea what she has done to us," she pointed her finger towards the queen who's face was ice, yet Emma knew was laced with terror, "How could you, Emma? We believed in you!"

"As much as I'd love to sit here and watch this lovely family fall to pieces," Rumpelstiltskin intervened, "I have more important matters to attend to."

He released his grip on the blonde and she fell forward, yet managed to catch herself. The Blue Fairy and Gold exchanged glances, some plan both of them had which was unknown to the rest.

The sheriff tightened her fists, her knuckles turning white, her teeth bared. Regina, hung in suspension, watched in utter shock, unsure of how to take the entire situation. The lover's shared one last glance before the queen and the Blue Fairy vanished into thin air.

Emma screamed out and ran forward, but it was too late. She was gone.

"What are you going to do to her?"

"Everything she deserves," Rumpel replied back.

The blonde, once again, went to lunge forward, but stopped as an arrow was pointed her way.

"Stay back, Emma," Snow barely whispered in sorrow, "I don't want to hurt you."

Emma couldn't believe it. Her own _mother._ _This_ was the family she never had? Her very own mother was betraying her! Her own blood. And all because of what Regina had done to them out of hurt. Emma knew better than to blame Regina for her own evilness. She saw passed it all and knew that evil wasn't born. It was created, yet the evil she knew wasn't the evil they knew.

"Please don't do this," Emma begged as she dropped to her knees in tears. _I love her. _

_"We knew how this would end and we knew we'd die before we lived."_

**A/N So hey there. I hope you guys aren't wanting to kill me. I promise this isn't the ending. That would just be terrible. Remember to leave a review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**_A/N so much for this being a oneshot. Thanks to all of you who have reviewed and taken the chance to read this. _**

**_I must warn you all that this chapter gets really, really intense, so if you are squeamish towards blood then turn back now._**

**_I believe there is one last chapter in this story after this which I will try and write as quickly as my mind will let me. _**

**_Please feel encouraged to leave a review. They mean the world to me (not a lie)._**

The mob had left her alone with only her mother who still held the bow and arrow in place. The raven-haired woman's eyes were emotionless, yet tears were clearly visible on the brim.

"Hold her back," she whispered to Leroy whose presence wasn't known until now. Him and another dwarf came over and grabbed hold of the blonde who had now dropped to her knees.

She was stunned; stunned to absolute silence as she watched her mother wipe her wet cheek and turn. All fight in her was gone as the two dwarves held her down.

_She betrayed me…_

It wasn't until a rope was pulled out that she realized what was going on. Her anger began to rise from the ashes and her muscles in her arms flexed as she struggled against the two men. One shouted at the other to hold her down, but she was too strong. With every ounce of betrayal, hurt, and fury, she gripped one dwarf's collar and threw him against the wall. A second later her foot slammed into the second and she bolted towards the door.

She ran. Ran as fast as she possibly could towards what may be her death.

_What do I do?_ She screamed inside of her head. Magic was here in Storybrooke and she knew she didn't stand a chance. Without Regina being able to get control of her own powers they were goners.

Her legs were tired, but the adrenaline pumping through her veins could last her for miles. Where was she running to? Did she even know where they had taken her?

_I need my gun, _she thought to herself, but couldn't remember, to save her life, where she left it. Her mind was ripping apart, casting shackles onto her emotions and dragging her into the depths of Hell.

_They can't hurt her. I won't let that happen— No…no, no, no…no!_

She stopped dead in her tracks, her heart leaping into her throat as she gazed into her destruction. Regina's apple tree was standing in the middle of town with the owner tied tightly to it. Her mouth was gagged with a black rag and her arms were bloody. The closer Emma crept she was able to take in the heart clenching fear of the brunette's face, her eyes black as a coffin and filled with so much terror.

_"This night is cutting into me; you tie me down, you watch me bleed."_

Every single person in town stood around, watching in awe. They were finally getting their revenge on the person who destroyed their lives.

The queen struggled with all of her might against the rope. The red apples oozed with what looked identically similar to blood. Standing right in front was the Dark one himself, a giant fireball appearing in his hand.

_"Nothing good will come of this. I'm screaming out with my last aching breath. I'll be yours until my dying day."_

Emma let out an earth-shattering shriek as the fire engulfed the tree. She pushed through the crowd, tears stinging her eyes, as the muffled screaming from the mayor grew louder.

_No, no, no! This isn't happening!_

The only person she loved. The only woman that made her able to feel. What they shared wasn't just the movement of limbs; it wasn't just a reaction of chemicals in the brain. It was love; true divine love that was being torn apart, limb by limb. Piece by broken piece.

_"They will never know the blood we've shed. The scarlet cross we bear until the very end."_

Warnings were thrown into the hot air, but the sheriff didn't stop. She finally pushed through most of the barrier until she was stopped by a line of people bearing weapons. The Blue Fairy gave a deadly smirk before waving her wand. Emma nearly missed the attack as she tumbled over onto the ground.

She coughed and turned to look towards her love, billowing smoke ascending high into the air as the flames grew closer and closer towards the brunette. The sound of something flying her grabbed her attention and she looked up in time to see Charming's sword. It stopped mere centimeters from her throat.

She looked into the eyes of the man who was supposed to be her father. The only man in her life that was supposed to protect her, but there was no love here. Her hands began to shake, her eyes burned. She felt the edge of the blade press against her neck so hard that a line of blood began to trickle down her pale skin.

In that moment she felt as if she could hear Regina calling out to her. Green eyes met brown and in that moment they were one. Their eyes whispered something beyond the comprehension of minds. Beyond words.

Emma's right hand grew warm and began to tingle. A sudden burst of light shot from her hand and the pressure from the blade was gone. She looked down to see her father's sword within her own grasp. Her eyes bulged.

_H-how the—?_

There was no time to ponder such miracles. If this was magic, she did not know. She took not another moment and did the only thing that her hands could do. Her knuckles turned white around the sword as she lifted it. Charming had not enough chance to grasp what was happening until his own sword was plunged deep within his chest.

Snow White's scream could be heard overtop of the crackling fire as her one true love dropped to the asphalt. His blood began to seep onto the cold ground.

First blood had been shed.

It had begun.

_There is no turning back, _Emma told herself as she ran forward and attacked the oncoming opponents.

_"They can never know just what we've done"_

But they knew.

"_This hunger seems to feed on me. A sacred sin, a dying breed and we risk everything"_

They were never supposed to find out; that secret was one only between lovers but this was inevitable.

The sword collided with another. She spun around on her feet and kicked an oncoming enemy. Her feet led her towards her lover who was choking, attempting to gasp for air.

The tree stood only a few leaps away from her. She screamed as an arrow pierced her shoulder, but she didn't drop. A dark fireball came whizzing towards her and, despite the searing pain, she lifted her arms and deflected the magical flames.

It was now or never.

The Blue Fairy edged closer. The flames flickered with a devilish grin. The blonde's own skin was boiling. She took a giant leap and slammed into Regina, both women's hearts beating frantically. The rag was ripped away from her mouth and she let out a vicious cough.

"Your sword!" Regina choked out as the blonde struggled against the ropes. The flames licked at their skin, threatening to burn them alive, but finally the sword sliced through.

Emma turned around and raised the sword above her head. The blade went flying through the air and stabbed the Blue Fairy through the heart.

The brunette fell against the sheriff and gripped her tightly. They looked to each other and then back to the swarm of people.

"Regina, get us out of here," the younger woman begged. They was no other way to escape.

"I can't."

"Just try," she said and then pressed her lips fully against the brunette's. A shock ran through her body and in an instant, purple engulfed them and they were gone.


	5. Chapter 5

**_A/N well…here it is. The last and final chapter of this story. I must say that I am quite surprised at how this turned out. I never thought I'd be able to actually take a song and turn it into a story. Thank you everyone for all of your lovely reviews. Feel free to check out my other Once stories as well if you get the chance._**

**_p.s. I also borrowed lyrics from the song 11:11 by In This Moment in this chapter. All songs used in this entire story are "Scarlet" "The Promise" "11:11"_**

The scarlet sky danced through the dense canopy of trees saying its last goodbye to the oncoming night. As the threshold of life grew thin the moon waited on the other side, the stars hanging on its shoulder. A sudden poof of purple smoke radiated into an area of trees and as it dissipated the two women were left standing alone in each other's arms.

Once the smoke had cleared, the blonde took a weary step back and looked around the crimson lit forest.

"Where are we?"

"Still in Storybrooke, but far away from _them_," the brunette replied with a nasty snarl before letting out a severe cough. It became so bad that the younger woman pulled her into her arms once more and rubbed her back tenderly. Once it grew quiet again, the mayor nuzzled her face into the blonde's locks and whispered quietly, "I'm sorry, Emma."

Emma remained quiet, unsure of exactly what to say. The only thing she could muster up was, "You're safe now." However, the loud ranting and shouts of the angry townspeople echoed through the forest reminding them of how dire the situation is.

"Obviously not," the mayor essentially deadpanned in her almost normal tone. Even in the worst times she still couldn't help but raise her guard. "It seems my magic wasn't able to take us as far as I would have liked."

She let out once again another cough and as it subsided, the blonde took her face within her pale hands, guiding her face to hers. Just as their lips began to touch, another angry shout sounded; they were drawing closer.

"Are you able to run?" she asked the older woman who nodded hesitantly.

"What is it?"

"Y-your shoulder…"

Her brown eyes had grown wide when they fell upon the sheriff's bloody shoulder, half of an arrow sticking out near her shoulder blade. With all of the adrenaline pumping through her she had been oblivious to the severity of it. It wasn't until now that the pain began to crawl along her entire shoulder and down her arm. She timidly reached behind her to yank it out, but a hand stopped her.

"You shouldn't do that."

"Why?"

Just as Regina's guard remained up, the blonde's stubbornness failed to release.

"Pulling it out may cause more harm and you could go into shock."

"I don't care! Just…just get it out!"

Regina nodded once and stood behind her lover. she wrapped her hand around the broken arrow and warned the younger woman.

"Regina, please," she begged, "It hurts…just get it out."

The brunette braced herself, for she knew just how badly an injury as such was. She had seen many on the battlefield during her reign and had healed just as many. She would have healed Emma in an instant if she could, but, as fate demanded, she was for the most part powerless. How they were even to get this far in the woods was beyond her.

The blonde let out a something between a hiss and a scream between her teeth as the arrow was quickly pulled out. The pain was excruciating, but she tried to play it tough.

"They're over here!" someone shouted through the trees.

The two shared a look of desperation before bolting for the opposite direction to God only knows where. They ran with all of their might, their feet stomping down onto the leaves as their hearts beat rapidly.

_"We, we knew how this would end"_

They feet led them to the edge of town. Quite literally. They stopped only a few feet away from a cliff which dropped several hundred feet below. The day had turned into a chilled night as the stars shone bright like luminous tears from the heavens. It dawned on them that there was no other place to run. What were they to do?

Emma grabbed the brunette's hands and entwined their fingers.

"…Regina…"

"Emma, I'm so sorry."

"Stop saying that. You have nothing to apologize for."

"But I am. I never wanted this to happen. Now that they know—"

"I don't care what they know. I am not leaving you."

_"They will never know all the blood we shed; the scarlet cross we bear until the bitter end and they, they can never know just what we've done…I will never let you go"_

Full brown eyes gazed into the other's soothing green globes. Emma couldn't say that she had ever seen such beauty in her entire life. Tears cascaded down both of their faces and, as contradictory as it sounded, Regina's eyes had never been so bright before in her entire life.

"You don't understand what I've done to these people. All the misery I have caused them. All of the pain. I took so much away from them. I thought that by taking away their happiness I could find my own, but I was wrong. They will _never_ let us be together."

Moonlit tears cascaded with full force down her face. Pale fingers ran across the older woman's cheek and brushed them away as they fell. Salty tears of her own began pouring out. She had never seen a woman so broken in her life.

"I don't care about what you've done. All I care about it who you are now. The woman that you were is in the past. She's gone. All of that darkness wasn't your fault…"

Regina never had anyone tell her that before. All of this time she had been the Evil Queen, the destroyer of hearts, but now, right before her eyes was an angel sent from the heavens. She took in a breath of air and tried to calm down herself enough to speak calmly.

"I never meant to hurt you all of those times before. I never meant it, I swear to you. I cannot express in words the grief inside of my heart at what has happened. I never thought I'd be able to love again; I thought my heart had withered away years ago when Daniel died…" she trailed off and looked over the edge into the distance, "…but then you came along. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. Emma Swan, I love you."

Emma's eyes widened. They had never, ever uttered those three words before. Yes, she knew that she loved Regina the entire time, but she never thought it possible to express such things. However, here they stood on the edge. The edge of life and death.

She once thought she had been in love, but that was all a lie. Ever since that night he left her stranded she closed up her heart and never let another soul in. She never knew it then, but she had been in love with Regina since their eyes first met. The moment at the mine should have been a clear sign that the mayor felt it too, but they never took notice. They had refused to let such a silly thought float in their minds.

Besides, they were supposed to hate each other and they had for quite some times. The screaming and the yelling. The uncalled for snarls and bites. The slamming against the wall and threats to rip each other's heads off. They were all signs of the cruel hate they had for one another.

Right?

Wrong.

It was like the bully on the playground. The girl who picked on that one who made her heart flush because she didn't want to admit to what her heart was telling her.

"I never knew what love was," Emma said almost bashfully, "I don't know how to love very well either, Regina, but I know that you are the one. I don't care what happens to us. I will be with you until the bitter end. I love you, Regina."

"_I'll be yours until my dying day."_

Their lips crashed into one another's with a passion that could fuel a thousand suns. The brunette's hands threaded into golden locks as Emma pulled her closer, their bodies pressing against each other tightly.

The echoing shouts grew louder. Any second now and they would be surrounded. Trapped.

"They'll never let me live," Regina breathed against the blonde's lips.

"Then I'll fight for you."

Emma continued to kiss Regina with the same mind-blowing fury, tongue slipping past the other. They were too afraid to pull from one another. Too afraid that if they stopped then it would all be over.

"We can't win, my darling," Regina cupped her lover's face, "I wish we could."

Emma began to sob harder. Choking on her words, she said, "There has to be another way."

As if on cue Regina remembered an object in her pocket. She thought she had used the last one to make the pastry, but she had been wrong. The dark red apple glistened like blood under the moonlight as she held it between the two of them.

"Is…is that what I think it is?"

Regina nodded and replied, "Yes, my love, but this one is far more deadly than the last. One bite of this and there is no turning back. No kiss to break the spell."

The blonde stared at the deadly apple within the queen's hand. There was no turning back from this. She ripped her eyes away and glanced towards the forest where the mob would soon be coming out of.

_"I will never let you go"_

"To the very end?" Emma whispered shakily and placed her hand on top of the apple and stared deep into her one and only lover's eyes.

This wasn't how it was supposed to be, but the stars said otherwise. Here they stood on the edge of death. This place wasn't theirs. This star-crossed wasteland held nothing here for them both. There was one and only one way to end this. The only way to be together.

"_They can never know just what we've done."_

No one would ever understand the love that these two women shared. There was nothing quite like it. Even in the beginning both women knew that wherever they were headed was an edge. Even if they never wanted to admit it, no matter how hard their hearts ached for one another, they knew this was the only way. They were lost in a land that supposed to be paradise, but they would never be allowed happiness.

_"Baby it's been a long, long road. A long, long dream. Baby, God knows I gave them Hell. God knows I tried, but at least I can say, at least I can say I loved. When I lie down and die…at least I can say I loved. It's been a beautiful tragedy."_

"The very end, my Savior."

A soft smile broke out across the blonde's face. Regina met her lips once more, the taste of saliva and salt mixing, and didn't pull back for God knows how long. They left each other's lips, but remained pressed against one another. Their eyes never left each other's.

Emma could truly say that she had never seen such a luminous smile on Regina's face ever. In all truth, Regina Mills had never smiled so large even with Daniel. They pressed their foreheads together and breathed out one last and final, "I love you."

* * *

By the time the mob broke through the forest it was too late. Everyone froze at the devastating sight before them. Snow ran forward and let out an overwhelmingly heartbreaking sound between a cry and a scream. Now she was alone. Without her Charming. Without her daughter that she so longed for. The Evil Queen was no more.

Crumpled onto the ground before them, lay the White Knight and the Evil Queen breathless and still in each other's arms. Their faces contained nothing of regret. Nothing of remorse. In death they laid silent and serene. Serene under the moon bright where no one could ever harm them.

Darkness never foretells Evil as Light never truly foretells Good. This was a reality that only few could ever grasp. Emma had reached into the darkness and found something worth fighting for. Someone worth dying for. Regina Mills had the warmest heart that anyone could have ever held. It was only because everyone failed to see through the shadows to understand such a thing.

Regina and Emma knew they couldn't allow them to win. Even if it meant death they would never surrender their love. The Queen and her Savior; the truest love that would ever be.

_…We knew how this would end…  
….And we knew we'd die before we lived"_

The End

_**A/N I do realize I am going to get a lot of shit for this ending, but that was planned from the very beginning. This was my interpretation of the song and therefore it called for such a tragedy. I know it may be hard to not show up at my doorstep with torches and pitchforks, but do try not to...**_

_**Reviews?...just so I know I didn't kill you guys?**_


End file.
